MotoGP was returning to Argentina this week, to Termas de Río Hondo, in the north of the country, and the World Championship was congratulating itself on its return to America three years later, having already dodged the covid, when suddenly, last Sunday, an alarm went off:

a plane had broken down in Kenya

, at Mombasa airport.

For anyone both facts should not be related.

But for a championship that moves so much material, it has it, well, it does.

This season, MotoGP had set itself a major challenge.

In his eagerness to reach new countries, expand the calendar and compete with other events, he had scheduled a change of continent without going through Europe.

Normally the planes that carry the motorcycles, the tires and the rest of the parts usually travel to Asia or America always from the old continent, but not this time.

From the Lombok airport, in Indonesia, where the last race was held, five heavily loaded ships had to fly to the Tucumán airport, in Argentina, with a stopover in Kenya.

Four of them did so and arrived at their destination last Sunday,

but one did not pass the technical inspection at the scale.

She had a breakdown and had to be repaired.

And five days later it continues.

The damaged plane was transporting a good part of the material of the Ducati MotoGP team, as well as two of its satellite teams, and several Moto2 or Moto3 teams, so this Friday's free practice had to be postponed until Saturday and the whole paddock has their fingers crossed.

If it gets fixed, there will be a race.

If not, it will most likely have to be suspended for the third year in a row.

Existing Options

And isn't it easier to send another plane to pick up cargo in Kenya and fly to Argentina?

No, it is not.

According to Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, the organizing company of the World Cup, from Termas de Río Hondo, in the world there are only about 120 planes of the maximum capacity and "20% of them" belong to Russian companies now under the economic sanctions of United States and Russia.

In that scenario, attempts have been made to find a replacement ship, but it has been impossible.

"This is the 499th Grand Prix that we have organized and it is the first time this has happened to us.

The problem has also been aggravated by the war in Ukraine.

We have no choice but to hope that the plane repair in Mombasa goes well.

The goal is still to race in Argentina and Austin," notes Ezpeleta and, at that last point, another problem.

Any temporary solution to get the material to Argentina must count on the fact that, almost immediately, next Monday, that same cargo must fly to the United States for the race in Texas scheduled for Sunday the 10th. A gibberish that threatens the longest World Cup of history, a World Cup until now happy to return three years later to places like Termas de Río Hondo.

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